India reviewing Dhaka’s extradition request for deposed PM Sheikh Hasina

New Delhi: India is examining a request from Dhaka to extradite Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the external affairs ministry said on Friday.

Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the extradition plea is under scrutiny and that authorities are considering the legal complexities involved. The request follows Hasina’s reported intentions to return to Bangladesh to revive her Awami League party.

Hasina, 78, has been in India since fleeing Dhaka after her government collapsed amid mass anti-government protests in August 2024. In November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death in absentia on charges of “crimes against humanity” related to the 2024 crackdown on student-led protests. Since then, Bangladesh has repeatedly urged New Delhi to extradite her to face trial.

Supporters say Hasina plans to return voluntarily. “We are all prepared to welcome our leader back,” Kazi Nasim Rupak, a publicity sub-committee member of the Awami League, told PTI Videos on Friday.

Bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh deteriorated after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took office following Hasina’s ouster. Relations have shown tentative signs of stabilising: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, attended the inauguration of Tarique Rahman as Bangladesh’s prime minister on February 17. Rahman assumed office after his party won a landslide in polls from which the Awami League was barred.

In April, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman made a visit to India — the first high-level trip by a senior member of the new government — as part of efforts to repair strained ties after more than 18 months of diplomatic tension.

India has not made any public decision on the extradition request and continues to review the matter, officials said.

(Inputs from IANS)